


Birthday Traditions

by ItsyBitsyBatsySpider



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Love, Comfort, Dead People, Other, Post Infinity War, Sadness, just a fic about bucky being a brother to peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 16:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsyBitsyBatsySpider/pseuds/ItsyBitsyBatsySpider
Summary: Peter realizes he missed his birthday, which brings up some emotions. Luckily though, a familiar White Wolf is there to comfort our favorite Spider.





	Birthday Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> prepare to have your heart ripped out. Also, it’s a oneshot. But i do like the Bucky and Peter dynamic, so there may be more. No promises though. 
> 
> enjoy!

The sky was lost in a blend of golden colors. Endless orange, yellow, and dust cast all around going on for miles and miles with no end. Gold shined down on the landscape and rays of sunshine draped down from the sky from an unexistant sun. Silence was all that could be heard, seeing as how a small boy walked away from the masses of people that had suddenly appeared after the Snap. He didn’t want to listen to panicked chatter anymore. It was all he had been hearing for months and he had gotten tired of it.

 

So here he was. A small boy in a suit of red, gold, and blue, looking out over the chasms of the Soul World. His brown hair whipping across his face and once soft chocolate eyes turned rock hard. Yes, the Soul World was beautiful… and yet Peter Parker hated it. 

 

He hated it with a passion that refused to go down. For this was his prison, as it was for millions of others, and this whole place was just a reminder for him. A reminder as to how he was trapped here, helpless. A reminder that said he could only imagine how catastrophic the outside world had become, and a constant reminder for him that he couldn’t do anything to help the rest of the Avengers who weren’t trapped in the Soul World.

 

Peter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He gazed back at the landscape and couldn’t help but despise it’s vast orange-yness. Earlier that “day” he had come to realize something, which startled him and made him come out here in the first place.

 

It had been his birthday “yesterday”.

 

He had missed his birthday and hadn’t even known it. The revelation put him in a solemn mood, which had unsettled a certain super soldier. But Peter hadn’t realized that, so while he decided to go on a walk, he didn’t know that someone was watching him.

 

Bucky had been the first to notice Peter’s mood, but the spiderling left the group before the White Wolf could say anything to him. Ever since they had come to the Soul World, Peter had seemed a bit off. But sure, he was still optimistic and encouraging for others, telling them that everything would turn out alright. But in the moments when he thought nobody could see his face, his eyes became sad and his shoulders sagged. And Bucky saw just how much toil the kid had been through. Sure, he put on a brave face for others and for the younger kids, but he was still only a kid himself.

 

After the Snap had happened, and all of the Avengers and Guardians appeared in the Soul World, they all really started to get to know each other. Because in a place as strange as this, it was safe to know who you’d be spending eternity with. Plus, there wasn’t a whole lot to do there in the first place, so… And while they were there, Bucky had really started to get to know the Spider-Man, or Peter Parker, and since they weren’t fighting each other in an airport, it was a lot easier. 

 

They talked and told each other stories about the random adventures they both had. The teenager especially loved hearing his war stories and all the missions he had done with Steve while he was a Howling Commando. And he even mentioned that his high school principal was related to one of the Commando’s, which Bucky thought was pretty extraordinary. He also learned that the kid was a lot like Shuri in many ways. He loved science, having made his original webshooters, and they both loved vines and memes to the point where half of the stuff they referenced didn’t make any sense at all. And Bucky betted his bottom dollar that they would’ve been great friends if they had met. 

 

So while he and Peter began to learn more and more about each other, Bucky started to think of Peter as his little brother. He never had a little brother before, so this was both new and exciting for him. The Wolf was grateful for a chance like this, and even though the circumstances they met in were horrible, Bucky was glad that he met Peter. 

 

So as he watched Peter begin to walk away, he began to wonder what caused the boy to go in such a mood. But he thought against going after him to find out. Cause maybe the kid just needed some time alone, and Bucky, of all people, knew how that felt. So he left the kid alone, until he was suddenly urged by a voice to follow the kid. To reach out to him. Bucky refused and continued to listen to the conversation between Sam and Wanda. But the voice in the back of his head kept nagging at him. Until finally he caved and turned around to walk in the direction Peter was going. His friends noticed.

 

“Bucky? Where you going?” Sam called out. The White Wolf glanced at his friend.

 

“I just need to do something. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry about me.” He gave a curt wave and turned back to the dusty plain. Sam watched on in curiosity before shrugging his shoulders and continuing his talk with Wanda.

 

Bucky had been walking for a while and had begun to doubt that he was going the right way, but each time that he did, his gut told him to keep going. So he did. He kept on walking, keeping an eye out for his little brother, when he suddenly saw a distant shadow.

 

There he is. Bucky thought.

 

He walked up to the edge of the cliff and glanced down at the boy beside him.

 

Bucky looked back to the horizon in silence, not saying anything to the teen, and sat down next to him. His metal arm clanking against the ground as he did.

 

He said nothing. And neither did Peter.

 

Instead they listened to the wind howl in their ears and let the silence consume them. For Bucky, it was nice. Listening to nothing except for your own breathing and the soft clatter of rocks. But as nice as it was, it was strange. He had grown up in New York, had travelled the entire world, and had fought in wars. He was used to the sound of mayhem and cars honking at each other. In the city, there was always something making noise. Even in Wakanda, there was some kind of animal making noise. Never really any silence. So being here in the Soul World, was both nice, and unsettling. 

 

He and Peter sat next to each other for a little bit, before Peter broke the silence.

 

“It’s weird isn’t it? The silence.”

 

The verge of a smile tugged at Bucky’s lips. He had just voiced the man’s thoughts.

 

“Yeah. It is pretty weird.”

 

Peter hummed. “I’m so used to hearing sirens and cars honking at each other, that I didn’t even think a place could sound like this.”

 

“Me too.” Bucky glanced at the kid next to him. Taking into account the fact that his hair had dirt in it and his face was covered with ash. A chip here or there in his suit and a cut or two on his face.

 

And a broken look in his eyes.

 

The White Wolf’s heart stopped; It was a look that so many had, but only few knew. Bucky knew that look well, for he had it too.

 

“Kid?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Are you okay?” Peter glanced at the ground at the question.

 

“I guess.” 

 

Bucky’s eyebrows creased. “What’s wrong?” He asked without hesitating. Peter looked up at the man, the broken look still in his eyes and water began to fill them.

 

“I just- I- ” his voice broke and his head bowed again. Unable to look Bucky in the eye anymore. “I missed my birthday.” he said in a hushed whisper. “It was yesterday.”

 

Bucky looked at the kid with a soft gaze. “How old are you?”

 

“Seventeen.” Peter said after a few moments. They sat a little longer in silence before Bucky spoke again.

 

“What did you do on your birthdays? Anything fun?”

 

Peter looked up at him, a little surprise evident on his face. “What?”

 

Bucky shrugged. “What did you do on your birthdays? Any traditions?”

 

Peter wiped at his eyes and rubbed his nose, attempting to get rid of the unwanted tears. “Uhm. Yeah.” He sniffled. “Me and, uh, my aunt, we would drive to this ice cream shop and get ice cream.” a rogue tear went down his face. 

 

“She would get caramel pecan and i’d get mint chocolate chip, and we’d get chocolate and eat that one together. Then, Ned would come over, and we would watch Star Wars: A New Hope.” Sniffle. “ We’d make popcorn and May would order a pizza… It was great. Every year. It may not have been much, but it was enough.”

 

The teen stopped talking, and the sound of his sniffling filled the air. Bucky just sat there and watched the kid. Hesitantly, he placed his real hand on the teen’s shoulder, startling the boy out of his crying and causing him to look up at the man. Bucky gave him a sad look and glanced down.

 

“Me and Steve used to have a tradition too. We would save up our money and dare the other to go on the biggest attraction of the year.” Bucky smiled. “One year, we went to Coney Island and rode the Cyclone. Steve ended up throwing up.”

 

Peter got a look of surprise and a small smile grew on his face. “Really?” Sniffle. “The famous Captain America who jumps from airplanes and fights aliens threw up on a rollercoaster?”

 

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah, he sure did.”

 

Peter laughed, as short and small as it was, and that little moment of delight made Bucky’s heart soar. Then a look of confusion flashed across Bucky’s face.

 

“But, why would you get three types of ice cream?” he asked the teen. The broken look returned to his eyes and his lips curled into a nervous smile.

 

“Well, you see… my Uncle Ben… he got the chocolate ice cream.”

 

Bucky then understood what Peter was saying. And regretted asking the question.

“Oh. I see.” he mumbled.

 

Peter nodded. “So now, every year when we get ice cream, we get one for him. Just to keep his memory alive, you know.”

 

Bucky nodded. But then fresh tears began to pour down Peter’s face as he began to cry again.

 

“But now… what if Aunt May… Got ice cream for me all by herse-” His voice broke as he began to sob. All the months of being scared, worried, and strong finally crashed down on him, and Peter was no longer a brave hero, but an ordinary kid from Queens who had been taken from his family too soon. Bucky realized this and drew Peter in for an embrace. The boy’s eyes were closed shut, yet he still clung to the White Wolf, letting all of his pain and fear pour out.

 

Bucky didn’t know what to do. All he could think of was to hold the kid tight and let him know he wasn’t alone. And it was in this moment, that Bucky realized just how small and afraid Peter was. He was a KID! A little kid who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and had ended up here. A was given this huge responsibility that only few carried with them, and even then they were adults!

 

He was just a boy.

 

A boy who had lost his uncle, his mother, his father, the chance of a normal childhood, and now, his life. He had no friends here, no one to comfort him in all of this, because he was the hero. He was supposed to be the one to comfort others, and yet rarely, did someone else comforted him.

 

It then struck Bucky like a slap to the face.

 

Peter was like Steve. In every sense. A kid who had lost so much, only to get up and keep on fighting. And not for glory, but because it was the right thing to do. 

 

So there they sat. A 100 year old man and a 17 year old boy, a soldier out of time and a child with a burden too heavy for his shoulders, embracing on a cliff side.

 

Bucky let Peter cry and he understood how it felt, so once Peter had settled down and his sobs resided to hiccups, did Bucky let go. And they were back to where they had started. Sitting next to each other on a cliif’s edge, staring at the vast golden landscape. All was silent once more. Except for the occasional hiccup from Peter. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Peter suddenly blurted out. Bucky turned to him confused.

 

“Why are you sorry?”

 

Peter shrugged. “For that whole… breakdown thing.”

 

A surge of anger erupted inside of Bucky.

 

“Don’t apologize for grieving. Don’t apologize for not being strong all the time. And DON’T you apologize for being scared. Because dammit Peter, you are allowed to be scared.”

 

Peter looked startled at the outburst, but it was replaced by gratitude. He glanced down at his hands, wiping the last of the tears away, and smiled.

 

“Thanks Mr. Barnes.” Bucky scoffed.

 

“Peter, I’ve told you time and time again, call me Bucky. It’s what my friends call me.”

 

Bucky stood up and shook off all the dust that clung to his pants before offering his hand to Peter. “Come on. We gotta figure out what we’re gonna do now.”

 

Peter looked at the hand in confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

“Well I doubt we’re gonna find birthday ice cream here. So we have to find something new to do for your birthday. Who knows how long we’re gonna be stuck in this goddamn place.” 

 

A smile lit up Peter’s face before he grabbed Bucky’s offered hand.

 

“How about we find the others so that we can really start celebrating.”

 

“Sounds like a plan Mr. Bucky.”

 

“You’re gonna keep doing that ‘Mr.’ thing aren’t you?”

 

“Yes, Mr. Bucky, I sure am.”

**Author's Note:**

> criticism is always appreciated!


End file.
